Electrical Issue - won't hold a charge
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Freshman User
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Electrical Issue - won't hold a charge
Hey All-
I have an '01 Mountie (5.0L) and the dang thing had a dead battery today, but nothing was left on. Battery multimetered at 12.2V and 14.2V when running, but after driving it to recharge the battery, it would not retstart againg w/o a jump (did this 3 times
).
Makes me think the alternator is toast, but the truck is 3 years old with only 39k miles (I'm the original owner). Of course, the truck is now out of warranty, but it's a little difficult to think that the alternator would fry up that quickly, especially given that it does not see any heavy duty use (no towing, etc)
I'm going to pull the alternator tomorrow and have it tested, but do any of you guys have any knowledge or ideas I might be missing? Looking for soem perspective.
Thanks
Derek
I have an '01 Mountie (5.0L) and the dang thing had a dead battery today, but nothing was left on. Battery multimetered at 12.2V and 14.2V when running, but after driving it to recharge the battery, it would not retstart againg w/o a jump (did this 3 times
).Makes me think the alternator is toast, but the truck is 3 years old with only 39k miles (I'm the original owner). Of course, the truck is now out of warranty, but it's a little difficult to think that the alternator would fry up that quickly, especially given that it does not see any heavy duty use (no towing, etc)
I'm going to pull the alternator tomorrow and have it tested, but do any of you guys have any knowledge or ideas I might be missing? Looking for soem perspective.
Thanks
Derek
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Joined: Feb 2004
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If your measuring 14.2 Vdc then the alternator is ok, that is the normal voltage for the alternator.
Have you checked to see if your cables are clean and on tight?
Are your headlights bright with the engine off?
Do they dim or go completely out when you start the engine?
If they are bright with the engine off, then go almost or completely out when you attempt to start the engine then I would suspect a bad or sulfated cell in your battery, this will cause it to not hold a charge and will act like a internal resistor, slowly discharging the battery.
Have you checked to see if your cables are clean and on tight?
Are your headlights bright with the engine off?
Do they dim or go completely out when you start the engine?
If they are bright with the engine off, then go almost or completely out when you attempt to start the engine then I would suspect a bad or sulfated cell in your battery, this will cause it to not hold a charge and will act like a internal resistor, slowly discharging the battery.
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Thanks for the input, folks.
Would the battery go bad that quickly? I mean from working fine one day to junk the next? Or does it usually happen over time and I didn't notice it?
What can I measure on the battery to see if it is the source of my issue?
Would the battery go bad that quickly? I mean from working fine one day to junk the next? Or does it usually happen over time and I didn't notice it?
What can I measure on the battery to see if it is the source of my issue?
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AutoZone may have a cca type of tester, this is a meter with a load resistor in series, it will measure the amount of current that the battery can deliver.
The headlight test is a quick and dirty way of doing this too, you can have a 60AH battery go bad and still deliver enough current to light up the standard 55 watt load that most headlights require, yet fail to deliver the large amount of current required to spin the starter.
The headlight test is a quick and dirty way of doing this too, you can have a 60AH battery go bad and still deliver enough current to light up the standard 55 watt load that most headlights require, yet fail to deliver the large amount of current required to spin the starter.
Elder User
Joined: Aug 2002
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From: Cincinnati
I went out one morning and it wouldn't start. Thought I had left something on. Put a charger on it and left an hour later. Drove around all day no problem. Next morning it wouldn't start again and this time it wouldn't take a charge. Yes, it happens that fast.
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Survey says...
Bad battery & yes, it did go bad that quickly.
Took the opportunity to get a little more powerful battery.
Thanks for the advice all.
Bad battery & yes, it did go bad that quickly.
Took the opportunity to get a little more powerful battery.
Thanks for the advice all.
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Joined: Mar 2001
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From: Raleigh, NC
I was in the same position. I bought a Merchant's Tire battery last year for $50. Well, a month ago, my battery died so I had a jump (thank goodness for roadside assistance by the university). I took it to Advance Auto for a check. They said the battery wouldn't charge. So I took my truck back to Merchants and they also told me that the battery wouldn't charge so they replaced a new one under warrenty. They ripped me off with $20 for a new battery and $10 for install and disposal fee. I should've said forget it and buy a new battery from Wal-Mart or something.